Chapter 3
3
Arthur's hand froze in midair with the plastic toy. The half-hearted smile on his face was instantly replaced by sheer shock.
He stared at Lily in disbelief.
He searched that innocent little face for any trace of her usual pouting, grievance, or desperate plea for his attention.
But there was absolutely nothing.
"Lily... what did you just call me?"
Lily ignored him, looking back down at her picture book.
Arthur panicked.
He opened his mouth, desperately trying to say something to salvage the situation.
But I cut him off from where I stood by the door.
"Lily, it's time for bed."
Lily obediently put down her book.
I gave her a goodnight kiss, turned off the bedroom light, and completely ignored Arthur, who was still standing there frozen stiff.
Over the next few days, Arthur suddenly transformed into Father of the Year.
For three days straight, he canceled all his evening networking events and walked through the front door promptly before 6:00 PM.
He no longer smelled like cheap rose perfume.
Instead, he came bearing bags and bags of expensive gifts.
Out-of-print, complete sets of Disney princess blind boxes.
Limited-edition art supplies you couldn't even find in stores.
Even a ridiculously expensive cello that Lily had casually mentioned wanting once.
"Lily, look what Daddy bought you!"
He tried a new trick every single day to win her over.
And I just watched the whole pathetic show with cold detachment.
Thursday morning, I met with my lawyer at a café in Lower Manhattan.
Sitting across from me was one of the most ruthless divorce attorneys in the country.
"Ma'am, the asset division and custody demands have been fully drafted."
"As long as you sign here, I can have the papers delivered directly to your husband's office this afternoon."
The lawyer pushed a thick stack of documents across the table and handed me a fountain pen.
I took the pen. The moment the nib touched the paper, my phone screen lit up.
It was a video from our nanny.
In the video, Lily was tightly hugging the box of limited-edition art supplies Arthur had given her the night before.
Even though she was trying her hardest not to smile, that long-lost spark had returned to her bright blue eyes.
She gently traced the edge of the box with her fingertips, handling it as delicately as if it were a priceless treasure, as if trying to confirm she wasn't dreaming.
My heart violently clenched. The pen stopped moving.
Last night at the dinner table, Arthur had suddenly looked at Lily with utmost solemnity.
"Lily, next week is Family Day. Daddy is going to do the parent-child race with you, okay?"
Arthur looked at her, practically swearing an oath. His eyes were desperate to please.
"Daddy promises. I absolutely won't miss it this time."
Lily had never even dared to hope Arthur would show up for Family Day.
The moment she heard those words, her little hand holding her fork trembled violently.
She snapped her head up, her eyes filled with disbelief and a fragile, terrifyingly cautious sliver of hope.
"Really... Daddy?"
It was the first time in days she had called him Dad.
A flash of wild ecstasy crossed Arthur's eyes.
He immediately walked over, dropped to one knee beside her chair, and grabbed her little hands tightly.
"Really. Daddy swears! Daddy is going to help you win the championship this time. No matter who calls, Daddy won't leave."
Hearing that promise, Lily threw her arms around Arthur's neck and hugged him tight.
Staring at the blank signature line on the divorce agreement, I took a deep breath.
"Please wait one week before delivering these papers to Arthur."
I didn't believe in Arthur's delayed affection for a second.
But I couldn't be cruel enough to personally shatter the hope that had just reignited in my daughter's heart.
I would let this be the last beautiful memory she had of her father in her seven years of life.
Once the race was over, I would take her and leave. A clean, permanent break.